The no good, very bad death of Slim Shady
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Eminem performs at Michigan Central Station with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty
Eminem's new album, "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)," is being panned by critics, so we decided to put our music reviewer hats on and let you know for ourselves.
Why it matters: He's remained one of the most streamed artists and, taking numbers over impact, is the biggest artist from Detroit, period.
Yes, but: Edgelord culture has changed in the 24 years since Eminem walked into the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards with an army of look-alikes to perform "The Real Slim Shady."
- Em's perception of it, though, hasn't changed a bit.
Our reviews:
Annalise: One thing about me, I have always loved a concept album. So, despite my lack of love for Eminem, I was intrigued by the final battle with alter ego Slim Shady.
- Unfortunately, I couldn't feel the storytelling shine through meaningfully.
- I understand the lyrics from Shady are intended to be tough to stomach, but the way he addresses "cancel culture" and trans people just felt icky and pointless.
Best song: "Fuel." The energy was high, guest JID killed his verses and I could feel the skill from Eminem.
Worst song: "Antichrist" was among the most cringy and tedious.
Sam: Since I listen to music for enjoyment, not lyrical acrobatics and shock value, Eminem has been unlistenable since "Recovery" (2010). My 13-year-old brain conditioned itself to enjoy "Not Afraid" and "Monster" mostly because they were holding Michigan sports arena DJs hostage.
- "Berzerk," "Rap God" and every single track he's released since 2013 have been nails-on-chalkboard bad.
Best song: "Brand New Dance" sounds like it's off "The Eminem Show," and as music critic Al Shipley said, it makes Em's delivery way more listenable.
- But this DJ Ess "Tobey" remix is the best thing to happen to Em's music in years.
Worst song: The 51-year-old white male making fun of 29-year-old Black woman Megan Thee Stallion (who's three months older than his daughter, Hailie) getting shot in the foot on "Houdini" really takes the sting out of rapping about how Candace Owens forgot she's Black on "Lucifer."
Joe: Like a lot of rap music fans who grew up around here in the late 1990s, I was captivated by Eminem's personality, storytelling and skill when "The Real Slim Shady LP" came out in 1999.
- Em's talent remains, but his stories, jokes and observations on his latest were uninteresting to me. There is no "White America" or "Deja Vu" here.
- After the third listen, I decided to stick to his older albums.
Catchiest song: "Houdini"
Worst song: "Somebody Save Me"